Friday, January 8, 2016

Back when graffiti was powerful

I said graffiti was dead before, which is paradoxical as the quality and even quantity of the works has increased with many talented writers and crews beautifying the city. And no, I am not dumb, I know the boys (yes, no more gals as of late!) need to make money and therefore need to live off commissions and side projects. Here I go back to what the grande dame of graffiti photographing in Lebanon, namely Maria Chakhtoura, told me: "it is when fighters started using stencil instead of coal to mark walls that graffiti died". I am taking the same route, I feel graffiti has lost its let-us-do-something-quick-before-the-police-comes or the urge to do something visceral and very punchy to prove our point of view.
I love this piece above, along with this one here I believe they embody that defiant attitude that once ruled our streets. I wish things would go back there - no matter how much I respect the talent of the people working these days.